The 18th Day of January Our Fathers among the Saints Athanasius and Cyril, Archbishops of Alexandria.

Evening Service At “Lord, I call...,” 6 stikhera. 3 stikhera for Saint Athanasius , in Tone 4: To the melody, “As one valiant among the martyrs.…” Thou didst endure persecution and misfortune, / O venerable preacher of God, Athanasius. / Thou didst drive away the deceiving teachings of Arius / And saved thy flock from godless impiety, / By proclaiming the Orthodox dogma / That the Son and the Spirit are of One essence with the Father, /// O most-blessèd hierarch and holy priest. Thou didst illume those sitting in darkness / With the brightly arrayed splendor of thy preaching, / Driving away all falsehood [and deception] / Bravely suffering for the Faith / As a true shepherd suffers for his flock, O Athanasius, / And as an unshakeable [pillar] of the Church of Christ. /// Therefore having joyfully gathered, we honor thee in song. Patiently didst thou study the virtues, / O divinely inspired one, / And being anointed with the holy unction of the Spirit, / Thou wast a most-worthy minister of the sacred and holy Things, / A true shepherd and champion of the Faith. / Therefore the whole Church glorifies thy memory, /// Sacredly celebrating and glorifying the Savior.

And 3 stikhera for Saint Cyril, in the Same Tone: (and melody) Thou didst defend the Church of Christ, / From the wolves with thy staff of thy teachings, / O [God-bearing] father Cyril. / And built a strong defense around her with the force of thy words, / Presenting her steadfast and unharmed to Christ. / Beseech Him therefore, to deliver from all corruption and harm /// Those who with faith celebrate thy all-honorable memory.

1 RLE. SDA 2014, with special thanks to Monk Anthony (DuChaine) 18 JANUARY: Ss. ATHANASIUS AND CYRIL, ABPS. OF ALEXANDRIA.

Having illumined thy mind with the radiance of the Spirit, / Thou didst extend the reach of thy words like the rays of the Sun / To the farthest ends of the world, [O father Cyril], / Illuminating the good works of the faithful / Driving away the darkness of heresy, O blessèd bearer of God, /// By the power of Him who shone forth from the Virgin. The Church is adorned with the eloquence of thy words, most-holy Cyril, / And is gloriously arrayed with beauty of thy deeds / It piously honors thy sacred memory, O glorious one, / Thou boast of the Orthodox and praise of the fathers, /// O holy champion of all who were at the council [at Ephesus].

Glory…, in Tone 6: (the composition of Germanus) Let us all praise in song Athanasius, the hierarch of Christ / Who abolished the opinions of Arius / And clearly pronounced to the world the dominion of the Holy Trinity, / One God in Three Persons and undivided, /// For he prays for us who in faith are celebrating his memory.

Now and ever…, Theotokion, or this Stavrotheotokion, in the Same Tone: To the melody “On the third day….” Beholding our Life hanging on the Tree, / The all-pure Theotokos cried aloud / With maternal sorrow: / “My Son and my God, /// Save those who sing to Thee with love.

The Apostikha from the Octoechos,

Glory…, in Tone 3 (by Germanus) The yearly commemoration of thy feast hath come / O Athanasius, thou namesake of immortality. / And like the golden waters of the Nile which overflow and [nourish the land] / Thy celebration overflows with the great news of Life-eternal. / For it provides a fruit nourishing us with the sweet Word of God / Teaching us to worship the Undivided Trinity. / And with this divine doctrine thou dost water the thoughts of the faithful, /// Ever praying for our souls.

2 RLE. SDA 2014, with special thanks to Monk Anthony (DuChaine) 18 JANUARY: Ss. ATHANASIUS AND CYRIL, ABPS. OF ALEXANDRIA.

Now and ever…, Theotokion, or this Stavrotheotokion in the Same Tone: (and melody) A sword has pierced thine heart, O pure one, / When thou didst see thy Son upon the Cross; / And thou didst cry out to Him: / Leave me not alone and childless, / Who hath preserved me a Virgin after giving birth to Thee, /// O my Son and my God.

The Troparion of the Saints, in Tone 4: O God of our fathers / Deal with us according to Thy compassion, / Take not away Thy mercy from us / But through the prayers of our fathers /// Guide our lives in peace.

Or Another Troparion of the Saints, in Tone 3: Having shone with wòrks of Orthodoxy, / And having extinguished the fires of heresy, / You now bear the trophìes of victory. / And having enriched all with piety and greatly adorning the Church /// Rightly you acquired Christ who grants us great mercy.

Morning Service — incomplete as of 12/14/14 After the First and Second Kathisma readings, the Sessional Hymns are from the Octoechos.

The Canon One canon from the Octoechos and two for the Saints — incomplete as of 12/14/14

Kontakion of the Saints, in Tone 4: To the melody, “Thou hast appeared today....” O greatest hierarchs of piety / And champions of the Church of Christ, / Preserve those who glorify Him, / Singing: Save those who honor Thee with faith /// O [greatly] compassionate One.

3 RLE. SDA 2014, with special thanks to Monk Anthony (DuChaine) 18 JANUARY: Ss. ATHANASIUS AND CYRIL, ABPS. OF ALEXANDRIA.

Another Kontakion of St. Athanasius, in Tone 2: To the melody, “Of Thy blood….” Thou didst plant the teachings of Orthodoxy / And destroyed the thorns of heresy / Thus increasing the seeds of faith, O venerable one, / By the watering of the Holy Spirit. /// Therefore we sing thy praise, O [father] Athanasius.

RLE 12/14/14 SDA Updated 1/13/14 SDA

4 RLE. SDA 2014, with special thanks to Monk Anthony (DuChaine)